(Re-)introducing Dino Gregory

During his first four games back from a suspension for an unspecified violation of team rules, junior forward Dino Gregory appeared out of sync in nearly every phase of the game. His jump shot looked smooth, but he wasn't able to use it very often because he struggled to get into the flow of Maryland's offense. Defensively and on the boards, Gregory appeared to be over-thinking things and not relying on the instinct that made him so good in both those areas near the end of last season.

But on Sunday against UNC-Greensboro -- Gregory's fifth game since his return -- he seemed to finally be gaining some traction. Gregory played 21 minutes off the bench, tallying 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. If the Terrapins could get similar production -- say, 7-8 points, 6-7 rebounds and 1-2 blocks -- out of Gregory each night during ACC play, Maryland's frontcourt would become vastly more formiddable.

Also encouraging was the fact that Gregory attempted seven shots -- a team-high -- from the free throw line. He made all seven. Overall, Coach Gary Williams said he considered it Gregory's best performance over an extended period of time this season.

"I thought he was really aggressive," Williams said. "I think that just proves that you need games. No matter if you’re an aggressive player or not, you can’t sit out for two months without games. So I think he’s in game shape now, and I look forward for Dino really being a factor for us."

Dino is still out of sync on the defensive end. He got caught a couple of times yesterday out of position, and doubled in situations where a double-team was not needed. Jordan Williams still appears to be a better post defender and rebounder than Dino. Dino did do a very good job at the FT line yesterday, but he needs to show that ability to get to the line against taller opponents and get those guys into foul trouble (FSU). His play could mean the difference between winning and losing against taller teams like FSU, UNC, and GaTech.